Smoked Norwegian Salmon and St. Germain Royale Cocktail Brunch by Ruth Paget

Parisian Vacation Brunch in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget  

For an après-Christmas brunch 2025, my husband Laurent, daughter Florence Paget, and I had St. Germain Royale cocktails with smoked Norwegian salmon.  

One of Florence’s Christmas gifts was a 400-page cocktails book, wo we had to let her practice a cocktail on us. She prepared a Veuve Clicquot cocktail with St. Germain liqueur made from flowery, white elder flowers. 

I liked the St. Germain Royale cocktail and thought the sweet, effervescent flavor paired well with salty, Norwegian smoked salmon. 

Costco’s Kirkland brand uses farmed salmon from Norway that is smoked in the Netherlands the packaging relates. Laurent and I shared the package meant for four to six as brunch. (Florence had a taste and ate legs from a Costco rotisserie chicken.) 

The smoked salmon was tender and buttery in texture and had a delicate smoky flavor, which is what I like. I love fish in all its preparations including smoked. 

If you are someone who likes smoked fish, the Kirkland Norwegian salmon at Costco would probably be a welcome addition to your New Year’s celebration (price: approximately $24 per package). 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Authentic Monterey County California Lunch at Woody's in Monterey, California by Ruth Paget

Authentic Monterey County California Lunch at Woody’s in Monterey, California by Ruth Paget 

My husband Laurent, daughter Florence Paget, and I ate an authentic Monterey County lunch at Woody’s Bar and Restaurant at the airport the day after Christmas that was healthy and delicious. 

The three of us started our meal with iodine-rich shellfish from the Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary. Florence ate chunky, clam chowder with salty oyster crackers. Laurent ate a jumbo shrimp cocktail with piquant cocktail sauce made with horseradish. I ate a plateful of lightly fried calamari with creamy tartar sauce and tangy cocktail sauce. I squeezed lemon juice on the calamari for a zingy addition of Vitamin C. 

Seafood tastes superb in rainy, cold weather like the winter of 2025. I snuggled up in my sweater and hoody jacket and thoroughly enjoyed each bite of calamari squid. 

Laurent ate one of his favorite Monterey County meals as his main dish – sand dabs fillets sautéed in lemon-butter with mashed potatoes and steamed seasonal vegetables.

Florence ate a Cobb salad that Woody’s made with organic produce from Swank Farms and Country Store. The salad also had organic chicken and bacon from San Benito County. Florence likes Woody’s house made ranch dressing. 

I ate one Woody’s large, fork-and-knife sandwiches – the mahi mahi sandwich with citrus aioli, citrus-flavored garlic mayonnaise. Mahi mahi is fished from the Pacific Ocean and is also known as dorado and dolphin fish. 

Mahi mahi is a Hawaiian term for this predatory fish. Mahi mahi eat protein-rich prey like crab and other smaller fish. The flesh of mahi mahi is firm from hunting.  

Mahi mahi’s flesh is also white and readily picks up flavors in poaching water like onion. At Woody’s, the mahi mahi seems to be poached with water, onion, and olive oil.

The fillet is placed on a toasted Palermo bun with citrus aioli and lettuce and tomato. I added salt to the fillet along with dill pickle and red onion. 

The sandwich is too slippery to eat with your hands, but very delectable when eaten in bites with a fork and knife. I understand why the mahi mahi sandwich at Woody’s is a Monterey County classic dish. 

I ate the mahi mahi sandwich with sweet potato fries. Sweet potatoes grow in parts of Monterey County with sunny, warm weather and sandy soil. I always associate orange vegetables with Vitamin A, which is good for the eyes. 

For a terrific, authentic Monterey County lunch, the seafood and salads at Woody’s Bar and Restaurant at the airport in Monterey, California is a welcoming spot for travelers and locals alike. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

48th Santa Cruz Quilt Show on February 21 and 22, 2026 reposted by Ruth Paget

The 48th Annual Santa Cruz Quilt Show will be held on February 21 & 22, 2026 at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds.  

People entering quilts have to use the online submission form for insurance purposes. 

Details about the Santa Cruz Quilt Show can be found on the Monterey County Weekly Online Community Calendar below:

https://www.montereycountynow.com/events/#/details/48th-annual-quilt-show/17696045/2026-02-21T10

Reposted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Parma (Italy): A Capital of European Gastronomy Reviewed by Ruth Paget

Parma (Italy): A Capital of European Gastronomy Reviewed by Ruth Paget 

Giuliano Bugialli wrote Parma: A Capital of European Gastronomy to firmly establish this small town in the Po River Valley between the Appenine Mountains in Northern Italy as a destination-worthy tour stop for outstanding food in Parma and its surrounding Emilia-Romagana region. 

Eight luxury food items assure work and healthy food for its inhabitants in this region:  

1-Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese 

2-Prosciutto di Parma 

3-Butter from Parma 

4-Balsamic vinegar from Modena 

5-Mostarda di Cremona – fruit mustard 

6-handmade, fresh egg ribbon pasta like tagliatelle 

7-handmade, fresh egg stuffed pasta like tortellini and anolini 

8-ragù sauce made from slow-cooked meat with tomato sauce 

Bugialli intersperses the cookbook’s well-written recipes with cultural photo essays about food and the people who have influenced the region’s diet with essays on the following: 

-parmagiano-reggiano cheese production 

-Parma and Duchess Maria Luigia, who was Napoleon Bonaparte’s second wife 

-Crosetti di Bedonia – flat pasta discs that are stamped with a family’s crest for events like weddings

-prosciutto di Parma production 

-pork and its various cured meats production including a meat map to show where cured meats come from on a pig 

Bugialli states that most recipes from this region are simple, but make use of its outstanding food products to create rich flavors. 

Some examples of recipes that make great use of Parmesan cheese, for example, include:

-creamy rice soup 

-Swiss chard gnocchi 

-cardoon casserole (cardoons are related to leeks) 

-fennel casserole 

Readers interest in using a limited amount of high quality ingredients to produce healthy and delicious food would probably enjoy reading Giuliano Bugialli’s Parma: Capital of European Gastronomy along with restaurant workers. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Foods of Tuscany Reviewed by Ruth Paget

Foods of Tuscany Reviewed by Ruth Paget 

Giuliano Bugialli’s Foods of Tuscany provides several recipes that could be catered for large-scale events like the centuries’ old Siennese Palio Horse Race that draws Italian and European tourists to the small town of Sienna for a big financial impact. 

The Palio Horse Race in Sienna pits riders from the city’s various quarters against each other that brings money in various ways to tiny Sienna: 

-elite seating tickets 

-general seating tickets 

-hotels 

-catering 

-drivers 

-security 

-restaurants 

-bars

-transportation to and from the event via:

-taxi 

-car entals

-limousine 

-car 

-train 

-bus 

-airplane 

-souvenir sales, including: sunglasses, caps, T-shirts, programs, books, postcards, greeting cards, pens, phone covers

-advertising, including billboards, radio, internet, television, movie ads, newspaper ads, posters, coupons

Bugialli provides photo essays on other cultural events that are big money makers for the Tuscany region as well: 

-regata di San Ragieri – a yacht palio 

-sheep milk production of pecorino cheese 

Four of Bugialli’s recipes that cater well for large gatherings include: 

-herbed crostini

Crostini are usually toasted slices of bread topped with homemade condiments. In this recipe, various fresh herbs are chopped together with capers and hard-boiled eggs to make a perfect outdoor appetizer that goes well with white wine or beer

-Mugello-style Puréed Bean Soup flavored with fresh herbs 

-Orzo Pasta with Peas 

Orzo pasta looks like rice when cooked, but is double the size. 

-Pasta with Zucchini and Shrimp 

Bugialli calls for homemade spaghetti here, but you could probably use dry spaghetti for a large crowd. 

Foods of Tuscany contains well-written recipes, but Bugialli’s description of Italian festivals makes you think of the recipes in terms of catering for six to six thousand. 

Event planners, chefs, caterers, restaurant workers, and travel agents might all enjoy and benefit from reading Giuliano Bugialli’s Foods of Tuscany 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Foods of Naples and Campania Reviewed by Ruth Paget

Foods of Naples and Campania Reviewed by Ruth Paget 

I re-read Foods of Naples and Campania by Giuliano Bugialli to relive my vacations in Italy and find recipe ideas that would help sell produce and wine from Monterey County California where I live and California in general. 

I thought Bugialli’s following 4 luxury recipes could add money to some already profitable business sectors in California: 

*aceto de vino – red wine vinegar 

For this recipe, white bread is placed in a glass jar with red wine poured over. A cheesecloth is placed on top of the jar and let to sit for 25 days before using it. 

*peperoni all-aceto – sweet red peppers preserved in red wine vinegar 

For this recipe, roasted and peeled sweet red peppers are preserved in red wine vinegar with seasonings. The preserved peppers can be used as an antipasto. 

*limoncello – lemon liqueur 

For this recipe, lemons are suspended above grain alcohol in an enclosed container till a liqueur forms. Limoncello could easily be a Californian liqueur, too. Perhaps oranges could be used in the same way.

*finocchi al sugo – fennel casserole 

For this recipe, you cut fennel into eighths and sauté it with lemon, olive oil and garlic before simmering it in water. When it is done, you sprinkle chopped parsley on top. 

Bugialli also provides some food industry ideas with his cultural photo essays on: 

-open-air markets in Naples, including one for fish and shellfish by the port 

-dried pasta production 

-buffalo-milk mozzarella production 

For an informative read about Naples and its surrounding region of Campania and similar neighboring regions of Calabria, Basilicata, Apulia, and Molise in terms of cuisine, readers can use Giuliano Bugialli’s Foods of Naples and Campania as a reference for recipes. 

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Apple Pie with Coffee for Christmas Dessert posted by Ruth Paget

People in California live in a state with lots of apples and is close to Oregon and Washington, which have tons of apples.  You can find pies for all budgets in California and it does taste good with coffee.

I did a sample product search at Nob Hill in Salinas, California  and found many apple pie options, which I listed below:

https://www.raleys.com/search?q=Apple+pie

After putting on a Christmas meal lunch, I left me pie and coffee in the late afternoon.  Busy parents might like this easy snack, too.

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France